HOPE Zakat Edition 2021
Our second PET-CT scanning system inaugurated at SKMCH&RC, Lahore The inauguration of a second state-of-the-art PET-CT scanner at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Lahore has augmented PET-CT services for the entire region. A Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET-CT) scan combines a PET scan and a CT scan to give crucial and detailed information about cancer. It is one of the most advanced imaging modalities for cancer patients and many of our patients require multiple PET-CT scans during the course of their treatment. PET-CT scanning plays a critical role in staging of cancer after initial diagnosis, in assessing response during treatment, and at the end of treatment to confirm a complete response and the absence of residual disease. In 2007, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust brought Pakistan’s first PET-CT scanning system to the country. This scanner has provided sterling service, and is still functioning at full capacity, with over 2,400 scans having been performed on it last year. Due to the ever-increasing numbers of patients visiting our facilities each year, the need for a second PET-CT scanner became increasingly
urgent. The commissioning of this new 128-slice scanner will help to reduce waiting times for patients and allow a larger number of patients to be scanned. Our PET-CT service is backed by an onsite radio-pharmacy and cyclotron, which helps further to ensure efficient delivery of services to our patients. Last year, in another first, we also installed the region’s first PET-CT scanning system in northern Pakistan, when we commissioned a PET-CT scanning system at SKMCH&RC, Peshawar. Today, SKMCH&RC has the largest molecular imaging facility in Pakistan, with two PET-CT scanners in Lahore and one in Peshawar. These PET-CT scanners are testament to the fact that modern and comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic cancer management facilities can be provided in our country for all patients, irrespective of their ability to pay.
"Our new PET-CT scanner has augmented PET-CT services for the entire region."
A state-of-the-art second PET-CT scanning system inaugurated at SKMCH&RC, Lahore. HOPE-Zakat Edition 2021
Work on foundations completed for the main hospital building of SKMCH&RC, Karachi Construction work on Pakistan’s third tertiary care cancer hospital and research centre, located in DHA City, Karachi, is underway at full pace. Located on twenty acres of land, with a covered area of over one million square feet, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Karachi will be the largest comprehensive cancer centre in the country. The scale of the project is evident from the fact that the concrete pour for the foundation of the main hospital building was the largest recorded in Pakistan. Since resuming construction in September 2020, work has progressed according to the planned project time-lines. Work on the foundations of the main hospi-
tal building, the bunkers for our radiation-treatment machines, and the parking plaza was completed in the first quarter of this year. The radiation bunkers will eventually house a total of ten linear accelerators twice the number at our hospital in Lahore. The new hospital is expected to open by the end of 2023, at an estimated total cost of Rs. 13 billion. The construction of SKMCH&RC in Karachi represents a tremendous opportunity for the people of Pakistan to step forward and support the building of the country’s largest tertiary-care cancer centre, in the most populous city, and the industrial and commercial heart, of our nation.
Work in progress on the main hospital building of SKMCH&RC, Karachi.
Covid-19 vaccines & cancer care During the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we continue to take steps at our hospitals to ensure delivery of cancer care in an environment which is safe for our patients and staff. Patients with cancer as a whole are at a higher risk of severe infection caused by COVID-19, which may increase the risk of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. The availability of COVID-19 vaccines for cancer patients and caregivers will allow SKMCH&RC to continue the fight against cancer in Pakistan, free of the fear of future disruption caused by this pandemic. In this regard, SKMCH&RC has already begun the process of vaccinating its front-line healthcare workers. Our experts at the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centres recommend that cancer patients should also
receive the COVID-19 vaccine, so long as the vaccine used does not contain live virus. The optimal timing of vaccination should always be discussed with the treating oncologist prior to administration.
Frontline healthcare worker being vaccinated against COVID-19 infection at SKMCH&RC, Lahore.
Expansion of consultation services at Shaukat Khanum Diagnostic Centre, Liberty The Shaukat Khanum Diagnostic Centre Liberty (SKDCL), in Lahore, started operations in August 2019. Diagnostic and consultation services at the facility continue to expand and the centre now offers a wide range of specialty clinics for the public. These include Diabetes & Thyroid, Gastroenterology, Kidney Care & Hypertension, Infectious Diseases, Anaemia & Blood Disorders, Psychiatry, Diet & Nutrition, Mind Wellness, Headache & Migraine, Cardiac, Well Woman and Comprehensive Healthcare Clinics. Situated in the heart of the city, SKDCL makes accessing quality care easier for the people of
Dr. M. Aasim Yusuf, acting CEO of SKMCH&RC, hosted Mr. Taimur Khan Jhagra, Provincial Minister for Finance & Health, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, during a tour of SKMCH&RC in Peshawar. Also seen are Mr. Tahir Aziz, COO and Dr Kashif Sajjad Associate MD.
Lahore, with all possible health safety measures in place. It is important that patients should not risk aggravating their medical conditions by delaying investigation or treatment for their disease due to the ongoing pandemic. Our patients can be confident that, as with all our facilities, SKDCL offers services in a safe, COVID-19 precautions compliant environment. As they receive world-class diagnostic and clinical services at SKDCL, our patients will also undoubtedly derive satisfaction from knowing that all proceeds from services provided at the Shaukat Khanum Diagnostic Centre, Liberty go towards helping the less fortunate to access the best possible cancer care in Pakistan.
UBL signed an agreement with SKMT to offer discounts of up to 20% on services at any SKMT facility in Pakistan for UBL credit card and debit cardholders.
PLEASE DEPOSIT YOUR ZAKAT, SADQAT AND DONATIONS AT ANY OF OUR REGIONAL OFFICES GIVEN BELOW